Whether you are from India, Bangladesh, or Pakistan, one thing that you would find in common across all these three countries is the obsession of elders to get women married. Especially if a woman’s “clock is ticking”, aunties and uncles would consider it their personal mission to find a groom for them, sometimes even if they don’t know them personally!
Here’s a classic example. Priyanka Basu, who is a Lecturer at King’s College London, revealed that the immigration officer at Dhaka Airport not just asked about her profession but also enquired about her parents and marital status. He further advised her to find a suitable Bangladeshi boy and settle down in Dhaka.
There’s more. He also took note of her local phone number and said that he would get in touch with her if he found a suitable match. WOW!
Have a look at her tweet here:
Immigration officer at Dhaka airport after enquiring about me, my parents, my marital status and profession has advised me to find a Bangladeshi boy, get married and ‘settle’ in Dhaka. He also noted my local ph no. and said he would be in touch if a ‘suitable match’ come up! 🙄🤦🏾♀️
— Priyanka Basu (প্রিয়াঙ্কা বসু) (@DrPriyankaBasu) January 5, 2023
While a lot of people shared a good laugh and questioned if the man was really an immigration officer or a matchmaker, some others highlighted that it is a common thing for random strangers in Bangladesh to try to set women up and help them ‘settle’ down. Have a look:
never knew this was part of their job description 🤣
— Rana Safvi رعنا राना (@iamrana) January 5, 2023
If he calls you, do tell him my mother has not been able to locate a suitable match for me in Dhaka, and would love to have a word. Hope the rest of the arrival process went smoothly. Pls feel free to get in touch if you need help navigating life in Dhaka.
— Cynthia Farid (@cf364) January 5, 2023
Immigration with persuasion. 😁
— Sameer More (@Sammypedia) January 5, 2023
Matrimonial officer 😁
— Gautam Biswas (@igautambiswas) January 5, 2023
Everyone’s national duty in the subcontinent is to get a girl married
— Asli BCCI Women (@AsliBCCIWomen) January 6, 2023
Welcome to Dhaka 😂 From personal experience, I can tell you that similar incidents happen more often than you would think. Of course, that doesn’t make it ok
— Fahmida Zaman (@ef_zaman) January 5, 2023
Sounds like this officer has stakes in a ‘marriage bureau, start up (dating service) as you call them in the West. I hope he will soon makes you an offer you cannot refuse😂
— ഷാജി കാങ്കപാടാൻ (@Kangapadan) January 5, 2023
Will society ever change its regressiveness when it comes to marriage and women?